Williams team principal James Vowles admits that F1 apprentice Franco Colapinto was “loaded up with more information than a human being can take” ahead of his race debut at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend.
The 21-year-old rookie from Argentina, who was competing in this year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship, was drafted in at Monza to replace Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the F1 season.
However, with only a single practice session at the British Grand Prix under his belt in Williams’ 2024 car, Colapinto was faced with a daunting task in a challenging environment.
Vowles, who played a pivotal role in the decision to promote Colapinto, was keenly aware of the risks involved in placing a rookie driver in such a high-pressure situation. However, he was impressed by how well Colapinto handled the challenge.
"Part of the reason why he's in the car is his ability to cope with immense amounts of pressure," the Williams chief explained, speaking to Motorsport.com.
"You still [need to] have natural ability to drive quickly, but he's not really flappable.
"We loaded him up with more information than a human being can take, and if you ask him now, he'll say that was definitely too much.
“But it didn't cause him to go into any other state than 'this is how I do things, and this is how I perform the best', and that's part of the reason why he's in the car."
While Colapinto negotiated well his opening day of running at Monza, his composure was put to the test on Saturday when a qualifying error left him just 18th on the grid.
But he handled well his start on race day and the commotion of the opening lap without losing ground, eventually concluding his day a creditable P12 in the running order.
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"To finish within a few seconds of Alex, of which the delta was all made in the first stint, when he qualified out of position, is a good result," Vowles admitted.
"He procedurally got everything correct that he needed to; at the start he didn't lose position, he did a good job at the pitstop.
"Up to his mistake in qualifying he was about within a tenth of Alex. That's the only mistake that anyone can put on him, and without that, I think he could have been fighting for a point on his first outing.
“So I'm very, very happy with everything that he's done and how he's built up into it."
Vowles' faith in Colapinto was rooted in more than just blind optimism. He had seen the raw talent in Colapinto's performances in the simulator and his productive effort during his FP1 outing at Silverstone.
"What I drove back to is this: he's faster than people realise," he explained. "You need to see it for yourself. It's based on what he did in Silverstone and what he's doing in the simulator, which sometimes doesn't always correlate, but there was good evidence to suggest as much.
"I believe in investing in [youth]. I was a graduate once and someone invested in me. And if you invest in the right individuals who have the right backing, you'll be surprised what you can get back from them."
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Looking ahead, Vowles remains optimistic about Colapinto’s potential to deliver points for the team, but he also cautioned against placing too high an expectation on the rookie’s shoulders.
"I would still say that there's every reason to be encouraged at how he's going to perform in Baku and Singapore and all the remaining tracks,” the Briton remarked.
“I think he could have scored points if qualifying had gone well.
"A little bit is on us. We have to improve the car at the right rate, and there are more updates coming that will help us push more concretely into that point-scoring region.
"When the package is on the car, his chances become all the remaining races. But answering the question more formally, in Baku he still has a chance, but he has to be absolutely perfect that weekend, and I think it's too high an expectation to put on his shoulders."
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